Little is known about the mechanisms by which mammalian cells grow and differentiate during the handful of days between fertilization of the egg and implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus. Osaka University researchers have demonstrated that cell competition between neighboring blastocyst cells is dependent upon activation of components of the ‘Hippo’ tumor-suppression pathway. Such competition ensures that cells with optimum pluripotency are maintained, to maximize chances of normal embryonic development.
Source: EurekaAlert, https://www.eurekalert.org